Abide

I see our Captain gone
and the quarterdeck empty
as the unmanned tiller
swings to the pull of
tidal currents
in a rolling sea
as I on deck
abide
a clear day
and a steady hand
with a weather eye,
but my sounding lead
finds shallow sand
and shoal and reef below,
as a noisome wind streaks
the waves
and shows a savage storm
approaching off the
bow.

August 2008